Ahn Cheol-soo
Ahn Cheol-soo (Korean: 안철수 [an tɕʰʌl.s͈u]; born 26 February 1962) is a South Korean politician, medical doctor, businessperson, and software entrepreneur. He is a member of the National Assembly as part of the conservative People Power Party. Prior to his career in politics, Ahn founded AhnLab, Inc., an antivirus software company, in 1995. He was chairman of the board and Chief Learning Officer of AhnLab until September 2012, and remains the company's largest stakeholder. Prior to entering politics, Ahn served as dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University until September 2012. Ahn was considered a left-wing politician when he entered politics in 2012, then considered a centrist politician by his 2017 presidential bid, and is now considered a right-wing politician.
Ahn Cheol-soo | |
|---|---|
안철수 | |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Kim Eun-hye |
| Constituency | Gyeonggi Bundang A |
| In office 25 April 2013 – 15 April 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Roh Hoe-chan |
| Succeeded by | Kim Seong-hwan (2018) |
| Constituency | Seoul Nowon C |
| Leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy | |
| In office 26 March 2014 – 31 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Moon Jae-in |
| Leader of the People Party (2016–2018) | |
| In office 2 February 2016 – 29 June 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Park Jie-won |
| In office 27 August 2017 – 13 February 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Park Jie-won |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Leader of the People Party (2020–2022) | |
| In office 23 February 2020 – 18 April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 February 1962 Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea |
| Political party | People Power |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | Kim Mi-kyung |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
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| Known for | V3 (antivirus software) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (Christian name: Paul Chong Hasang) |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Republic of Korea |
| Branch/service | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Years of service | 1992–1994 |
| Rank | Lieutenant (Korean: Daewi) |
| Ahn Cheol-soo | |
| Hangul | 안철수 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | An Cheol-su |
| McCune–Reischauer | An Ch'ŏlsu |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in South Korea |
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Ahn made his first official entry into politics as an independent candidate in the 2012 South Korean presidential election, polling strongly before dropping out and endorsing the ultimately unsuccessful campaign of Democratic Party candidate Moon Jae-in. In the 2017 South Korean presidential election, Ahn ran as a third party candidate, losing to Moon Jae-in and winning 21.4% of the popular vote. In the 2022 South Korean presidential election, Ahn ran again as a third party candidate before dropping out of the race and endorsing People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, who went on to win the election. Ahn also ran in the 2018 and 2021 elections for mayor of Seoul.
In 2014, Ahn became one of the co-founders and co-leaders of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, now known as the Democratic Party of Korea, before stepping down from party leadership after a few months and then defecting from the party in 2015. In 2016, he was one of the co-founders of the centrist People Party and often served as party leader until the People Party and the Bareun Party merged to become the Bareunmirae Party in February 2018. In 2020, Ahn split from the Bareunmirae Party and created a new party, also called the People Party, which Ahn led until the People Party and the People Power Party merged in April 2022. Since April 2022, he has been a member of the conservative People Power Party.